Display apparatus.



PATENTED SEPT. 1-1, 1906.

H. J. HUDSON.

DISPLAY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED BEPT.19.1905.

4 sums-BERT 1.

PATENTED SEPT. 11, 1906.

H. J. HUDSON. DISPLAY APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 19,1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATBNTED SEPT. 1 1

H. J. HUDSON.

DISPLAY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.19,1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET s. A

PATENTED SEPT. 11, 1906.

H. J. HUDSON DISPLAY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19.1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

To all whom it mag concern.-

- UNITEDISTATES PATENT OFFICE;

Be it known that I, HEN Y JOHN Henson,

a subject of the King of Great Britain, resid ing at South Kensington, London, En land, have inventedcertain new and usefu Im= provements in Display Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to display apparatus, and more particularl has. reference to display apparatus in whic varied and novel effects may be produced by the peculiarformation of a figure, object, or the like, in combination Witha variable illumination of such figure, ob'ect, or the like.

In general t e invention consists in forming an object or model with what I will term a profile or medial line, which will be more or less distinct, according to the nature of the object, and on either side of this profile or medial line providing surfaces either of like or unlike contour, together with lighting.

devices so located as to illuminate one of these surfaces at a time, leaving the other surface partially or wholly dark, according to the contour of the object, model, or. the like atthe profile line. By this it results that the illuminated side ap ears very distinctly, and in the case of modefs of human or animal faces susce tible of different ex ressions the dark or in istinct side is iece out by the sense of the observer, so t at an impression as of seeing an entire symmetrical face is presented havin nated side. l f now the lighting be reversed, an entirely different effect will be produced, because of the different surface illuminated, so that by alternately lighting the dissimilar sides entirely unexpected and novel efiects may be produced because of the illusion created.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated herein a statuesque, has-relief, or

intagjliio model of a human face is prepared,

in w oh the right and left sides are dissimilar or unsymmetrical, one side bearing, for example, a troubled expression and the other an amused or joyful expression. In some cases the models may thus represent entirely different persons, so as to permit of one side being alternately illuminated without the other to produce the desired effects.

Figure 1 represents a perspective front view of a model of a human face havin dissimilar expressions on the right an left sides and also an arrangement of lighting Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed September 19, 1905. Serial No. 279,131.

the expression of the illumi-' Patented Sept. 11, 1906.

model illuminated, representing, for example,

a troubled expression. Fig. 3 shows the left side of the model illuminated, representdevices. Fig.2 shows the right side of the ing, for example, a 'oyous expression. Fig.

4 shows the path 0 the light-rays, together with a" sectional view of the model and back-v ground. Fig. 5 isa similar view, except that the background is curved so as to be artially dark .when the model is lighted. Fig; 6 is similar to Fig. 4, except that it shows amodified application of. my invention to corrugated surfaces adapted to exhibit different descriptive matter when alternately illuminated. Fig. 7 shows a plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the corrugated surface; and

pressions, and when separately illuminated produce different effects, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, Fig. 2 showing a troubled expression and Fig. 3 the opposite. From an ins ection of these two figures separately it w' lbe seen that the sense of the observer in a measure completes the picture on the shaded side, thus giving the illusion that an entire face is seen, similar in each case to the illuminated portion, whereas the shaded side can be seen, if at all, only in dim outline. This effect appears much more plainly where a has-relief model is used, for instance, and actually illuminated than it does in the drawings, though in the latterthe effect described appears. The bas-relief, model, or like object. is preferably to be exhibitedin a dark room, and for this purpose is mounted in the frame 2, the background 4 being preferably of dark color, so as to contrast with the light side of the model and harmonize with the dark side. Located at each side of themodel 1 within the frame are one or more lights 7, inclosed in a casing 8, which has a slot9 for throwin a beam of light, the lights being so positione that the beam of light will pass across the model, as in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, without strongly illuminating the surface beyond the shadow line. A better effect is produced if the shaded side receives some diffused light sufficient to indicate its general outlines, but this will of course depend upon how nearly As shown in Fig. 1,

- r nated.

pression to be distinguished, and I do not 1 alike the two sides. are. @By moving the lights nearer to or farther from the object. the effect will be varied because of the vanation in the shadows, and this may be accom-' 5' plished by mounting the lights 7 so as to be movable relatively to. the .object and, the background. I i

15 is a switch for alternately lighting the lights on each side.

In all cases the model or object Wlll ha've'a well-defined profile or shadow line which'cuts off those rays'of light which would otherwise strike and sharply illuminate the other side, besides character to the side illumit may be varied in intensity as long as the far side of the model isnot so strongly illumi-' nated as to enable its different contour or exmit myself to any particular distance and location of li hts except as may be necessary to accom lis my objects.

It will be understood'that where I use the termv asymmetrical in" describing my in- 2 5 vention I intend to include such apparatus '5 ate more 0 a contrast.

as will producethe desired effect by reason of the dissimilar appearance or expression of the parts thereof without said (parts necessarily difiering in contour or mo cling.

.In Fi 4 the background is shown as substantial y plane on each side of the object,

while in'F1g. 5 it is partially hollowed, as at 10, so that a shadow will be cast which will vary the li hting of the back ound and cre- In 'g. 6' a modified form of the invention is shown applied to the back ound, wherein 11 represents a corrugate surface com clined faces the ro le lines of which Wlll be sed of. alternatel ino straight and inc ined to each other at such angles that .only the faces inclined in the same direction Will be illuminated'from one A side at any given-time. Each of thesesets of inclined faces may have-portions of letters 4 5 thereon, as in Fig. 7, where, for example, the

vice versa.

rangement permits one set of words on both sides of the model to be illuminated, as well ent set of words will appear.

letters E 0 appear on the faces 12, and the letter A and a portionof the letter M? on the faces 13: When the faces 12 are illuminated, the faces 13 will be dark, and

As seen from Fig. 6, this aras-one side of the model, and when the opposite side of the model'is illuminated a differ- By suitably locating words on the ordinary background of Figs. 4and 5 they will appear whichever side of the model is llluminated.

The illusion of a complete face produced by lighting one side at a time is accentuated by permitting a sli ht interval of time between the extin 's 'ng of the light on one side and the lig ting on the other side, so that a momentary period of total obscurity intervenes. Instead of the solid background be understood that the lights 4 having two s raised portlon, in combinatlon withfmeans sauna:

transparencies may be used and operated in any-of the well-known ways, and variegated effects may be produced by variously coloring the surfaces to be illuminated or by colorin the lights themselves.

. nasmuch as innumerable desi exhibition b the method herein described and many ot er arrangements of lighting devices may be made the invention is not to be limited to the specific combination of ele-.

0f 010-. jects may be made which will be capable .of

nients herein described and illustrated, but

is defined by the scope of the appended:

claims.

I claim- 1. A display apparatus comprisin a body having two oppositely-disposed. s aces, in

combination with means for lighting-each surface in such a direction as to cause it to shade the other surface, and thereby produce efiects varying according to the surface illuminated, said surfacesbeing visible from'the same point, substantially as described.

2. I display a paratus comprising a model having two surf ces inclined to each other and meeting in a profile line, means for alternately lighting said surfaces in such directions as. to cause each to be shaded by the other when 1i hted, and means permitting the direction o the li ht to be varied to vary the eifect, substantiafiy as described. I

3. A display a paratus comprising a body urfiices with an intermediate for alternately lighting each ofsaid surfaces in such a direction as to cause the raised por-.

tion to shade the other and thereby produce effects varying accordin to which side is lighted, substantially as escribed."

4. A display apparatus comprising a model having its opposite sides as etrical, in

combination with means for ighting upthe sides of the said model alternately in such directionsasto cause one to shade. the other, whereby an illusion is produced that different models are being used, substantially as deeach side of themode and each located approximately in the plane ofthe model so as to li ht only one side, and'means for alternately lighting said lighting devices, substantially as described.

7. A display apparatus comprising a model having its opposite sides asymmetrical, in combination with means for s0 lighting either of said sides singlythat the other side will appear symmetrical with the illuminated side, substantially as described.

8. A display ap aratus comprisin an asymmetrical mode mounted on a ackground, lighting devices on each side of the model adapted to light one side of the model and the background, the background having descriptive matter thereon, substantially as described.

9. A display apparatus comprising an asymmetrical model, a background therefor comprising a plurality of surfaces of which alternate ones are inclined in the same direction, in combination with lighting devices arranged to light one side ofsaid model, and one group of said alternately-inclined surfaces, substantially as described.

10. A display apparatus comprising an asymmetrical bas-reliei model mounted on. a contrastin background, in combination with means for lighting the respective sides of said model singly, substantially as described.

11 A display apparatus comprising an asymmetrical has-relief model mounted on a background comprising a corrugated surface havingv descriptive matter thereon, and means ermitting the model and background to be a ternately lighted from opposite sides to change the appearance of both the model and the descriptive matter, substantially as described.

12. A display apparatus comprising an asymmetrical model, a background having descriptive matter thereon, and means permitting-the model and background to be alternately lighted from opposite sides to chan e the appearance of both the model and the escriptive matter, substantially as described.

13. A display ap aratus comprising an asymmetrical mode having an intermediate shadow-casting portion, and adapted to produce an illusion of change in expression according to the side illuminated, in combination with a background likewise changing in appearance as one or the other side of the model is illuminated, substantially as described.

14. As an article of" manufacture, a basrelief model for exhibition urposes, having the surfaces ateither side 0 an ap roximate medial line modeled to have di erent ex pressions, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY JOHN HUDSON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. LANDES, W. MANDERSON L033. 

